Carolinian language
| Carolinian | |
|---|---|
| Refaluwasch | |
| Native to | Guam, Northern Mariana Islands |
| Region | Saipan, Anatahan, and Agrihan islands, Carolines. |
Native speakers | 2,600 (2000)[1] |
Austronesian
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Northern Mariana Islands |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cal |
| Glottolog | caro1242 |
| ELP | Carolinian |
Carolinian is an Austronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is an official language along with English and Chamorro.
Related languages
Spoken mostly by the Carolinian people, Carolinian is the most closely related dialect to Satawalese, Woleaian, and Puluwatese languages.[2]: ix Carolinian has 95% lexical similarity with Satawalese, 88% with Woleaian and Puluwatese; 81% with Mortlockese; 78% with Chuukese, 74% with Ulithian.
Facts
- A 1990 census estimated the number of speakers at about 3,000, 5,700 (as of 2008). [citation needed]
- Carolinian is known as Refaluwasch by native speakers.
- It has 31 characters in its alphabet.
References
- ^ Carolinian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Ellis, S. James (December 2012). "Saipan Carolinian, One Chuukic Language Blended From Many" (PDF).
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